Eva Longoria Expands Partnership with iHeartMedia's My Cultura Podcast Network, as Hyphenate Media Group Becomes Stakeholder
Longoria and Hyphenate to Executive Produce New Slate of Original Podcasts
My Cultura, iHeartMedia's podcast network dedicated to elevating Latino voices and stories, today announced a major expansion of its collaboration with award-winning actress, producer, director and philanthropist Eva Longoria. Hyphenate Media Group—the studio she co-founded in partnership with industry leader Cris Abrego, who serves as the group's CEO—has acquired an equity share in My Cultura and will also be represented on its Board of Advisors. As part of the new deal, Hyphenate and Longoria will executive produce a slate of new original podcasts with iHeartMedia's My Cultura.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250615333408/en/
"Storytelling shapes how we see ourselves and how the world sees us, and podcasting is one of the most intimate, accessible and powerful ways to connect with audiences and share meaningful, authentic conversations," said Longoria. "There's never been a more urgent time to elevate Latino voices and talent. Through this partnership between Hyphenate and iHeart's My Cultura, we're building a bigger platform for stories that reflect the richness and complexity of our community."
The upcoming lineup will include the continuation of Longoria's flagship podcast, "Hungry for History," which she hosts alongside culinary historian Maite Gomez Rejón. More information on upcoming shows will be available soon.
"Podcasting is a natural dimension of the kind of IP we are investing in at Hyphenate—premium, creator-led, talent-driven, and designed to move across platforms," said Abrego. "With iHeart's unmatched reach and ambition, they are an ideal partner as we extend into audio and build a slate designed to shape the cultural and commercial landscape ahead."
This new partnership arrives as My Cultura marks its fourth anniversary. Since its launch in May 2021—in collaboration with Enrique Santos, iHeartMedia's top-rated on-air personality and President and Chief Creative Officer of iHeartLatino—the network has seen steady growth with downloads up 48 percent and listeners up 59 percent year-over-year. Longoria and Hyphenate join actor, producer, entrepreneur and activist Wilmer Valderrama (NCIS, Encanto, That ‘70s Show), who in September 2024 expanded his role and became a stakeholder of My Cultura. The growth rate for Hispanic Americans listening to podcasts monthly is nearly three times faster than the U.S. population, with 43 percent of Hispanic Americans listening to podcast monthly, up 79 percent vs. 5 years ago according to Edison Research.
"We are honored to recognize our fourth anniversary by welcoming Hyphenate Media Group as a stakeholder in iHeart's My Cultura Podcast Network and committing to a new slate of podcasts curated in partnership with Eva Longoria," said Santos. "Eva brings with her a profound commitment to authentic storytelling and her vision aligns perfectly with My Cultura's mission to create groundbreaking content that resonates with audiences worldwide. She has long been a powerful advocate for Latino voices, and her work both in front of and behind the camera has elevated our culture in meaningful, lasting ways. Her leadership continues to open doors and change narratives, making her a true force for representation."
Longoria initially joined the My Cultura family in 2022 to launch a slate of original podcasts including "Hungry for History;" and "Connections with Eva Longoria," an unscripted series in which Longoria and her guests engaged in complex topics with meaningful conversations. The My Cultura Podcast Network is additionally home to more than 55 podcasts including hit series "Chiquis and Chill," "Princess of South Beach'', "Wrestling with Freddie", "Sacred Scandal," "Radio Ambulante," "Magical Rewind", "He Said, Ella Dijo with Eric Winter and Roselyn Sanchez," "Enrique Santos Podcast," "You vs You with Lex Borrero" and many more.
Listeners can hear all My Cultura shows on the iHeartRadio app and anywhere podcasts are found. See the full list here.
About Eva Longoria
Having worked consistently in Hollywood for over 20 years, Eva Longoria has cemented herself as an industry staple known for her work both in front of and behind the camera. Currently seen in CNN's celebrated culinary original series Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain, which she produced as part of her company Hyphenate Media Group's growing slate of original content, her other recent credits include Disney+'s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip, Apple TV+'s Land of Women and Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, which she recently won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Longoria is currently in production for Eva Longoria: Searching for France which will premiere in 2026. Other past credits include Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico, Overboard, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Grand Hotel, Devious Maids and Telenovela. In addition to her work in front of the camera, Longoria also directed Flamin' Hot, which immediately catapulted to becoming Searchlight Pictures' most watched streaming movie ever. Up next, she can also be seen in Amazon MGM's The Pickup and Oh. What. Fun, and Gurinder Chadha's holiday indie film, Christmas Karma. On the unscripted side, Eva is set to executive produce a docuseries about beloved Mexican soccer team, Club Necaxa, alongside Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Premiering on FX this summer, Eva also has a stake in the team.
Celebrated globally for her breadth of work, Longoria founded production company UnbeliEVAble Entertainment in 2005, soon after her breakthrough onscreen role on Desperate Housewives. The prolific company was behind many memorable hits, including ABC's Grand Hotel, NBC's Telenovela, Netflix's Emmy Award-nominated documentary Reversing Roe, and CNN original Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico. In 2023, she co-founded Hyphenate Media Group and today serves as its Co- Founder alongside industry veteran Cris Abrego, Longoria serves as Chief Creative Officer setting the vision across the studio's rich slate of originals while providing extraordinary leadership across its labels and investments. At the inception of Hyphenate Media Group, Longoria invested all assets and intellectual property from UnbeliEVAble Entertainment into the new venture, helping to jumpstart Hyphenate's originals slate.
Additionally, Longoria is a dedicated philanthropist and activist who has consistently lent her voice to the issues she is passionate about. In 2024, she was awarded with the Bezos Courage & Civility Award for her longtime advocacy for the advancement of the Latino community as a storyteller, activist, and entrepreneur. She has since gone on to use the funds to further the work of the Eva Longoria Foundation (ELF) to champion innovative solutions that accelerate economic opportunity, civic participation, and cultural influence. In over a decade of work, ELF has helped over 30,000 Latinas unlock their power to better themselves and their own communities. She is also an investor and advisor in Siete Foods, that recently sold to PepsiCo for $1.2B and owns successful luxury tequila company Casa Del Sol all while being a global ambassador for L'Oreal Paris for 20 years.
About Hyphenate Media Group
Hyphenate Media Group is a premium content studio and media holding company co-founded by industry veteran and entrepreneur Cris Abrego (CEO) and award-winning director, producer, and entrepreneur Eva Longoria (Chief Creative Officer). A television first company, Hyphenate develops and produces creator-led IP that spans scripted and unscripted formats with a sharp focus on bold, compelling storytelling designed for premium streaming, cable, and network partners. In addition to its slate of original productions, Hyphenate strategically invests in creator-led enterprises and content, scaling their growth through capital, business development, and the infrastructure provided by Hyphenate's core leadership team. The company is also expanding select projects across film, audio, and digital verticals, creating a 360-degree approach to content development that maximizes global audience reach and long-term IP value. To jumpstart its own studio function, Hyphenate acquired the full slate of UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, the production label founded by Longoria in 2005. Hyphenate's portfolio of content includes Land of Women (Apple TV+) and Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain (CNN). Upcoming releases include Eva Longoria: Searching for France (CNN), Necaxa (FX), and the film Fifth Wheel (Netflix).
About iHeartMedia, Inc.
iHeartMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:IHRT) is the leading audio media company in America, with 90% of Americans listening to iHeart broadcast radio in every month. iHeart's broadcast radio assets alone have a larger audience in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the size of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled audience of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined, has the most recognizable live events across all genres of music, has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and is the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250615333408/en/
Angel Aristone for iHeartMedia
[email protected]
Nicole Marostica for Hyphenate Media Group
[email protected]